Parts are already in short supply in Ukraine, and farmers are stockpiling and lending and borrowing amongst themselves. (Ihor Pavliuk photo)

Farming behind the lines in Ukraine

A Ukrainian agriculture journalist chronicles the challenges of sowing a crop during wartime

Ukrainians will farm their land, even in the face of war. In the Kherson area of southern Ukraine, where war rages and the city of Kherson is seen by the Russian invaders as strategic, a column set out on Monday. This was a column of tractors, under the flag of Ukraine. In it were farmers […] Read more



Anti-tank ‘hedgehogs’ are seen in Maidan Nezalezhnosti Square in Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, on March 9, 2022. Farmers are among those assembling the obstacles, set up to block roads against advancing armoured vehicles. (Yevhen Kotenko/Ukrinform/Abacapress.com via Reuters)

Bread and war: Farmers in the fight for Ukraine

Agriculture, being the most important industry in Ukraine, will play a large part in the war, a Ukrainian ag journalist writes

It is very difficult to explain what a person feels when they’re awakened at 5 a.m., when a rocket explodes near their house. That’s exactly what I experienced Feb. 24. The first thing I did was fill my car with gasoline. Then we bought a lot of products we thought we might need — medicines […] Read more

This might be the sight from your tractor cab one day — barren trees, the odd bit of snow, and wheat seed going into the ground a month or so earlier than you ever imagined. This photo was taken on Gould Ranching on April 6 of last year and despite three snowfalls afterwards, would emerge lush and green.

How early can you go? Ultra-early seeding is pushing the boundaries

Some farmers are convinced seeding at the start of April or even weeks earlier is a winning strategy

Reading Time: 7 minutes While other farmers are still counting down the days until they can start seeding, Matthew and Farley Gould will already be out on their fields, getting it done. Last year, the brothers started seeding spring wheat nearly a month before their neighbours — and they plan to be “even more aggressive this year.” “We were […] Read more








winter wheat

Recent rains boost winter wheat prospects

Even if their ground is still dry, some growers may seed winter wheat and cross their fingers

Reading Time: 4 minutes Recent rainfall across Alberta may have more producers considering winter wheat this year. “With the rains we’ve had lately, there are people who are still optimistic about putting in some winter wheat this year,” Gary Stanford said on Aug. 25, following a week that brought about an inch and a half of moisture to his […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

Canola, wheat acres in opposite trends before StatsCan report

'Every commodity was offering options that were profitable'

MarketsFarm — Just days prior to Statistics Canada issuing its latest survey-based crop acreage report on Tuesday next week, analysts are estimating a rise in canola acres at the expense of wheat. “Coming through the winter and towards spring seeding, we were looking at canola prices that were at their highest levels of all time,” […] Read more